How Did You Know: Redone By LuxUmbra2012
by LuxUmbra2012
Summary: That's right, I'm redoing this too. First Snowed In, now HDYK? Hope you guys love it! Note: yayleo is no longer working on HDYK and has given me permission to finish his work. Everything you will read from here comes from yayleo since he gave me the story's details but I'm just doing it for him.
1. Chapter 1

Well, everyone, here is my surprise. A remake of yayleo's 'How Did You Know?' I hope you guys thoroughly enjoy. You see, yayleo suffered a severe amount of writer's block with it and so I offered to take it off his hands while he works with the other stuff he has in store. What he works on, I don't know. In any case, let's get started. For the record, I will be using his OC's as well as mine for this. It will be a fun write, I can say. This will not hinder NLA in the slightest.

**How Did You Know**

**Redone By LuxUmbra2012**

**Permission granted from yayleo**

**Chapter 1**

**Beginnings Arc: 1 of 2**

Fear… Fear was the only definition I could think of right now… This was beyond anything I have ever done in my life. Here I am, standing at the edge of the abyss, one step sending me straight to my doom and now I'm mentally berating myself for even getting involved in this situation, when earlier, I was oh-so-eager to have fun with my friends. Oh how I wish I could curse them 17 times to hell, but I can't. It's not like I can't, I can. It's just that I'm too afraid right now. A figure stood behind me as I looked down. He spoke in a gruff voice, _"Once you go, the others will follow." _ Not exactly comforting, knowing they'd take the plunge after I did… It would've been funny if anyone, especially Dante took the plunge before me, but no! Me first, the best video game player in Toronto, first! DAMN MY LUCK!

"_DO IT, FURBALL!" _ I heard Dante yell that out.

"_You can do it, Leo!" _ That one was Ronny…

And before long, my other friends joined in a chorus, all of them chanting my name. _"Leo! Leo! Leo!"_

_(They must be out of their goddamn minds if I'm gonna do this… What the heck am I saying? I've braved Hell as the nameless space Marine and as Dante, I've played through the twisted realm of Silent Hill, I've lived through loads of zombie apocalypses such as Raccoon City and New Orleans! This is nothing! I've lived through F.E.A.R so that proves my bravery! Nothing scares Leo Orlando Leonardo the 3__rd__! Nothing! Yeah! Let's do this!)_

Feeling confident after my mental pep talk, I smirked and spread my arms to the side as wide as I could… then… I stepped over the edge God of War style, a shout of confidence proving myself yet again. However, my confidence had instantly disintegrated as I fell to the river below the bridge. Realizing the impending doom, the water and rocks coming ever so closer at a faster rate, I screamed loudly, all frames of my body screaming that I was a damn idiot and that I was gonna die. I swear I could see so many images of my life flashing before my eyes as I was merely a second from impact. But right before I thought it would all end, a sudden tug pulled at my torso along with a sort of weight adding onto mine. I had completely forgotten that I was attached to a bungee cord as I was pulled back up into the air. It took every form of restraint not to vomit my lunch as I was shot back up towards the bridge, all the while flailing like the notorious dork I am. As I came into the view of my friends, all of them laughed hard while I flicked them off and yelled loudly over the whoosh of the air, _"I'LL KILL ALL OF YOU!"_

If anything, my screaming death threat just made them laugh harder for their laughter was still present as I fell again. The descent this time wasn't as bad as the first, but the whiplash still elicited some screams from me as I went up, and down, and up, and rinse, lather, and repeat. After the first 3 times, I actually began to get used to the descent and… It felt like I was flying, but in a small enclosed area. Is this how Mario felt in 'Super Mario World' with that cape of his? Or Wee-Man on Jackass? Or was it Number 2? It felt like I was cheating death, coming closer into hitting the floor, only to spring back upwards and soar in the skies, defying the laws of gravity itself. Eventually the screams became yells of excitement as I enjoyed what time I had on the bungee cord, until the bouncing stopped and I was steadily pulled back up onto the bridge. As I was pulled back up, I was met by cheers and laughter, the laughter overdoing the cheers of support. Dante 'Jeice' Riley and Sam Hunter cheered my attempt, while everyone else, Ternaldo Wilson, Ronald 'Ronny' Blue, Ashley Michelle Moore, Shawn Roy, and Clairissa Richardson simply laughed as hard as their lungs could allow, Ronny doubling over and pointing. _"YOU GUYS SUCK ASS!" _ I yelled at them as they still kept going on. Even the bungee jump operator was laughing hard. _"Never thought I'd hear a boy scream that loud! You were louder than all the other girls on their first time!" _At that, even Dante and Sam broke out laughing, and it got worse from the others… I blushed, feeling pretty embarrassed about that… Until I started laughing too, because I had to admit, it was funny. I, screaming like a girl…

As I got on my feet and the straps and cables were pulled off, my friends approached me, now congratulating me on my first ever bungee jump attempt. Eventually Ronny broke forward and grabbed my head and wrapped it around, giving me a noogie as I struggled to break free. _"Weellll… congratulations for making yourself look stupid again!" _ He laughed out before continuing, "_Next time we come here, you are first again, and this time, I'm recording that shit! It was so damn funny!" _Next time? Oh, hell, no! _"HELL, NO, THERE WON'T BE A NEXT TIME!" _I yelled out to Ronny after finally escaping his grasp. The others still laughed a little at my very over dramatic response to them.

But… then came the others turn and of course they all chickened. Cowards… I stepped up to the plate, and they cock out. That is until a voice called out. _"I'm in." _Everyone turned to see Dante stepping forward. He despises heights, so why would he try? _"Dude! You have the worst fear of heights! Don't do it!" "Sorry! Already in the gear!" _How did he get in it so fast? Well, there was no way to convince him not to do this but everyone was still trying to talk him out of it… Until he walked off of course. His screams then echoed around us until he sprang back up, yelling, _"I'M SCARED SHITLESS BUT THIS IS AWESOME!" _At least he understood. The others looked a little unnerved. Hopefully this might convince them…

Eventually everyone had a turn. Ternaldo swore he almost hit the water, Ronny countering with a fat joke that got him a small punch in the chest. Ternaldo knew we were just kidding with him. It was our way of expressing our bond as friends. I dragged Ronny into it next. The guy said he could handle it like a pro. I scoffed at it, claiming he'll scream like a girl when he falls. Surprisingly the whole time, he didn't say squat. We were all stunned… until he puked 10 seconds after being freed from the equipment. When that happened, I laughed so hard, my sides were splitting. Serves him right. Then Shawn tried it next, saying it might be fun. It was funny because it looked like he was trying skateboard tricks as he came up, then dove as he fell trying to gain more air time. Of course the guys and I cheered him on, while Ashley looked extremely apprehensive. I knew she cared for him so I told her that he'd be fine. Shawn is nearly as good as a professional so he knows what he's doing. Shawn dismounted a few minutes later and told us that this would be great to practice the motions for skateboard tricks. He seemed really giddy, saying one day he'll come up with his own original legendary trick. And of course, Ashley wasn't so enthused about that…

After all of us had our turn, we were so pumped and primed on what to do next. You see, today, we decided to hit a rather large carnival today and we all were having an awesome time. Shawn shouted, _"Food! Let's get something to eat, I'm starved!" _Ronny sided with that. Ashley, now giddy, declared that we should head for the nearest big-ass rollercoaster. Eager, I spoke, _"Hey, Aeris, what do you want to do?" _ I didn't get a response. Odd. As I looked around… I didn't see her anywhere. _"Oh, sorry, she left 45 minutes ago." _Ashley spoke up. I was surprised… Aeris left? _Why?" _ I asked. Not that I was concerned, just curious. _"She left for a date she had with Spencer." "Spencer?" _Sam asked. On a date? I didn't know she could tame that violent side long enough to even get close to a guy. _"You mean that cheetah transfer student?" "The really cute one." "OH! Go girl!" _I mentally rolled my eyes as they began describing Spencer. I never even saw the guy but they kept claiming how hot he was, and how he was such a good guy in school.Girls… I swear… One day, they'll realize that it's the heart that counts, because I bet he's just an asshole inside. Speaking of, I better call, interrupt the date and see how it is going. I whipped out my IPhone 4G, and inserted my unlock code 'pwnd' and prepared to call her until the phone went off on its own. Oh! It's Aeris. Weird. I answered it, wondering why she would call me. It's normally the other way around. _"Yo, it's me. How's it going over there with Spence?"_

She didn't respond to me when I asked. _"Hello? Aeris? It's me-" "I know…" _She suddenly answered me._ "Whew… for a moment there I thought that you were mad at me or something." _I responded, somewhat glad she answered. Hey? She is my first and best friend after all. Isn't that a good enough reason to worry a tad bit, even though she's a master at Wendo? (Female form of fighting, primarily used against criminals and attempted rapists and all that. Explains where the raw strength comes from, huh?) Keeping a grin on my face, I wanted to pester her enough to make her lose her cool in front of Spencer, so I asked, _"So? How's it going over there with Spencer, Aeris?" _She didn't respond again… but I swore I heard the distinct sound of a very pissed off growl or raw anger. Whoa… I hope I didn't hit anything touchy or I'm dead… But that growl softened, and I heard her continue with, _"I've been here a half hour waiting on Spence, Leo. He was supposed to show up 20 minutes ago." "Dick…" "Huh?" _I realized that I said that out loud. _"Oh, sorry, I meant he's a dick for being late." _I replied truthfully._ "Oh… wait a sec. I just got a text…" _I waited a moment, wondering what it would say. I hope for Spencer's sake, he explains why he was late, because it's not wise to anger Aeris Cole, Toronto's pink fury. My wait was cut short as Aeris answered the phone again. _"Leo… can you pick me up from the mall?"_

Did she say what I think she just said…?

I heard a sniffle on the other end, followed by more noticeable ones… Was she crying? _"Leo, just come and pick me up, please…" "What happened?" "He… stood me up. He went on a date with some other girl. I just saw him after he texted me, saying he couldn't make it…" _Son of a bitch! I knew he was an asshole! That's so not cool! I was pretty angry right now. That was so uncool and undeserved. But there were more important matters at hand right now. I was about to say something before I could hear tears on the other end. This is really scaring me. Aeris is the biggest badass I know around the whole city. She never cries… But this bastard who the whole school hardly knows busts her to tears like that!? _"Hey… you alright over there?" _That was… a really dumb thing for me to say… Of course she isn't! She just got stood up for God's sake and in one of the more horrible methods I know. Before I could apologize for asking such a dumb question, she responded again, somewhat calming down, a few sniffles were still present. _"Yeah… I just need a ride… I've had a bad day…" "You sure you ok over there?" "I really feel like punching him… or something really hard." "Would my head count as hard?" _I cracked. I know it wouldn't do much but I did get a small laugh from her. It was a good sign, the first step to the road of getting over his lame ass. _"Alright, I'll be right over. Just hang tight alright?" "Thanks." _ With that she hung up before I could say goodbye. Does anyone say good bye anymore? Eh, not caring right now. _"Whatcha doing over there, furball?" _Dante asked me as I placed the phone into my pocket. I really didn't want to kill the mood, especially since we were all having such a great time, but I had to anyways… _"Guys, I'm headed to the mall. Aeris called. Spencer lied and went out with-" "Claudia?" _Dante interrupted. _"Who?" "I saw this Spencer guy being asked out by Claudia. She's kind of a bimbo." "Never mind, in any case, Spencer stood her up and I'm headed out to pick her up."_ I hoped that only Dante would hear but I had the misfortune of eavesdropping friends as they looked around the corner of the concession stand, mixed reactions on their faces. And I failed to not kill the mood. As they came from their hiding spot, I noticed all of them looked rather crestfallen about their friends' misfortune, same as I was. But the mood didn't last. Ronny stepped forth from the crowd and gazed at me with a certain steely expression. _"So he did, huh?" "Yeah…" "So… that gives us license to do something about it?" _Normally, the serious Ronny's face always made me laugh, mainly because I rarely see him serious, but this time round, I was pissed too. _"Oh yeah. It does." _And I matched his evil grin with one of my own. _"Well, since you'll be picking her up, we'll hold down the fort till you get back. There are still loads of fun stuff to do before the day ends." "Right, see you guys in a bit." "Later."_

"_Wait! Leo! If you see Spencer, slug him one for me, would ya?" _Ashley called out as I turned around. The impulse was now made heavy inside my head… _"Aeris is really rubbing off on ya, Ash!" _ I responded, amused by the thought of a violent Ashley. I just don't see it happening. She's just too sweet. _"Well, I guess we could do a few rounds on Call of Duty or something after this huh?" _

"_Sure!"_

"_Cool!"_

"_I'm gonna die…"_

"_You always die first Dante…"_

"_THAT'S BECAUSE LEO AND AERIS ALWAYS KILL ME FIRST!"_

"_No. It's because you suck, noob." _

They all waved me goodbye as I headed off from the carnival. As I went past the entrance/exit, I was kind of angry and I allowed a small growl to leave my lips. No one, and I mean no one, deserves that kind of treatment. Except a few douchebags I know… In any case, I got inside my 2013 Jeep Compass, blue colored by the way (a birthday gift from my folks since I gained my license on the first shot), and drove off.

Some time would pass as I drove through the city to the mall to collect Aeris. I saw Schwartzen-Cop being an ass to some kids about the Chronicles of Riddick, even though they had the movie; Johnny's 'pet store' suddenly have a suspicious stain splatter on the window, later turning out to be spaghetti sauce as he was slurping on noodles; And Scott flying way above everyone. Showoff. All in all, another pleasant not weird as hell day, something I know Aeris can truly appreciate, if I can snap her out of this, which I'm confident I can. The time passed and I finally arrived, the entirety of the mall shining in its recently built glory as I parked in the lot a rather fair distance from the entrance. Locking it behind, I made my way inside the mall via the JC Penny's entrance. Jeez. It is crowded here today… All these girls clamoring around since a special is going on today, and a few annoyed boyfriends/husbands following them around carrying things for them… Is that my folks? Hey! That is my folks! HAHAH! Poor dad…. Lugging around all that stuff… he looks like he's gonna collapse. Well, I'll leave my dad to his torment while I go find Aeris. In a mall full of animals and humans, she shouldn't be hard to find, considering the uniqueness of her fur.

Leaving the area, I made it to the center area, calling out my comrade in VG's name. I had to make sure she heard me out above the incessant banter of everyone else in the mall, so I kept doing so. Eventually I skimmed most of it expect the food court and movie theatre. When I got there and called her out, I thought I heard a whistle. Probably someone wolf whistling a girl… I called again. Another whistle. Ok, that was too coincidental… she has to be around here somewhere. I called out her name again, this time a very loud whistle came from over at a table in front of Wendy's. When I got a good look, I noticed a mop of untamed pink hair present there. There's no mistaking it. That person over there is Toronto's red and white mix hurricane. Quickening my pace, I dodged through a few people and made my way over to the table. Taking a seat, I noticed the remnants of a Baconator burger from Wendy's laying in front of her. _"Yo, Aeris. How's it hanging?" _ I spoke casually, but completely unsure of what the hell to say to her after what Spencer did to her. A pit of sadness and anger began to fill my gut because of it.

It was pretty awkward to even say anything to her. So I decided on whatever the hell came to mind. _"Revenge?" _I blurted randomly.She looked up as I said that, somewhat intrigued by the thought of it, but her face resumed its current sadness as she spoke up, _"Thanks for showing up… It means a lot." _At least I did some good in coming. _"No problem." _She got up, obviously wanting to get the hell outta here after what happened as she hastily disposed her trash… but she stopped after that and refused to turn around. The obvious sound of a sniffle coming from her… This must have really impacted her. I mean I knew on a personal level that Aeris was rarely asked out but guys, and this Spencer person really was gonna get it from me if I saw him. But that wasn't important; cheering her up was. I really hope she doesn't kill me for invading the 'bubble' (her personal space), but she really looks like she needs a hug… I snuck up behind her, and embraced her from behind, taking care to keep my arms at shoulder level… Last time I went lower, which was an accident, didn't end very well for me…

More sobs came from her. Now I was feeling stupid… Was I helping or just making things worse? _"Look, Spencer is an asshole who missed out. Don't feel bad. It's not your fault." _I spoke out, hoping these cheesy lines might do something into cheering her up. It didn't seem like it would work and I was about to let go, until she spoke up after some time. _"Thank you… I feel a little better now… Even though you used the cheesiest line one could ever use in a situation like this." "I thought that same thing, but what else could I say?" _I countered towards her. Placing a finger under her chin, she thought for a moment before saying, _"Well… There really isn't much else to say, but thank you." _YES! Score! I cheered her up from the possibility of a really dark depression! _"Heheh! No problem!" _I was still happy I succeeded at cheering her up but as I looked at her, she still seemed upset about the situation. _"You ok?" "Yes, I'm fine." "Bullshit, are you ok?" "…. I really feel like I need to hit something…" _I was about to say 'let's track down Spencer and his date', but honestly, even I knew she'd get in trouble if she did. There's only one person in the whole planet who'd willingly take her blows without causing a fuss about it… whether intentionally or unwillingly.

She turned to leave, ready to just depart from this place, until I stopped her by placing my right hand on her shoulder. She turned around, obviously curious about my intentions. I know Aeris more than anyone else in the whole planet and when she's mad, she has to vent, otherwise, it builds up and when it peaks, she's like a volcano; only after she's done erupting will she be calm and docile… and anyone in the way will be burned alive by her wrath.

"_Let's just go, Leo." "Nope. Not yet. There's still something that has to be done first." "And what's that?"_

I pointed at my own chest and balled my right paw into a fist, then made a notion of hitting my chest with my fist. She seemed very confused about what I was trying to tell her. I hit myself harder, hoping she might get the message. As a friend, she could vent on me, after all, I didn't really care. It was just Aeris being Aeris, after all.

"_What the hell are you doing?"_

"_Vent. Let it all out."_

"_What are you talking about?"_

"_You said you wanted to punch something, right? Well, fortunately, your feline punching bag showed up to help out, so vent and let all that frustration out."_

I know more so than anyone else how strong she is… But I could take even the most brutal of her blows. After all, I am her best friend since kitten hood. And best friends do anything for each other, right? Yeah… Best friends always help each other out, no matter what. And even though it would hurt like complete and total hell, if she was happy, then that's good enough for me.

To be continued…


	2. Chapter 2

Well, I hope everyone likes my new surprise, because there's more where that came from! Here's No. 2 of HDYK!

**How Did You Know**

**Redone by LuxUmbra2012**

**Chapter 2**

**Beginnings 2 of 2**

What the hell is he talking about? Vent out on him? Feline punching bag? I don't understand what he's getting at. I feel tons better after this, so I just wanna get outta here before something decides to anger me further. And why the gorilla motion? Wait… I get it. Hit him? He wants me to hit him? Why?

"_Just let it all out. Don't worry about me. I'm cool with it." _

*Normal POV*

Aeris was surprised. Leo was offering her a free chance to vent out her frustrations on him… in the usual manner that he was so used to. Frowning, she spoke up, _"Look, I understand what you're saying, and I really appreciate the fact you've cheered me up from Spencer standing me up like that. I even appreciate the notion of revenge, which you know I'm gonna be a part of, but you've done enough. Thank you." _Now it was Leo's turn to be dumbstruck (**A/N: Which really isn't saying much…). **She denied a free shot. _(Is the apocalypse coming?) _Leo thought, perplexed by her refusal. _"Now, where's the Jeep? Let's just get out of here." "It's fine, just do your damage and we can go." _

Why was he insisting on her to strike him? This wasn't his usual tactic. Normally, he'd say something stupid, somewhere along the lines of a 'your mom' joke. But he stood fast on his offer. Nonmoving. _"Just do it. Come on, ya know you want to." _At this point, it wasn't worth it. Her frustrations were at Spencer, not Leo. Besides, he didn't do anything to even provoke her in the first place. THAT is when he deserved a blow. _"Again, thanks, but no thanks. Let's just get outta here…" _With that she turned her back and began walking off in the direction Leo approached her from. _"I know she's hurting… and if that rage isn't let loose, god help us all." _Leo thought. _"How can I piss her off enough this time? She's practically hit me over everything else…"_

It was tough for him to think, even harder about what to say to entice her into venting her frustrations. But nothing truly came to mind when trying to anger her, nothing he hadn't already said before and was struck for it. He had used it all, 'your mom', 'periods', 'foot-long', everything in the book. It seemed practically futile to think of anything he could do to anger her in the absolute slightest. He had nothing… Nothing that could possibly work at getting her angry. With a sigh, he accepted his defeat and followed after her. As he passed through JC Penny again, taking in another sight of his dad's suffering, his mother's frantic purchasing, and the small tears the older male shed when he saw the price of all the things his beloved had claimed 'she just had to have'.

Out in the parking lot, he thought and thought hard on any possible factor to at least let her vent out some frustrations out on him. But alas, nothing came to mind. He was virtually stumped. Before she entered, she stopped him for a moment. _"Can you answer why? Why did you want me to hit you?" "Because you got upset and pissed over that douchebag Spencer and I wanted to just help you vent out. You get calmer after you've punched something." "I'll be calmer after I've punched Spencer. But I do understand your point, and it's thoughtful of you, for once, to try and help out. In fact…" _ She stopped, since at that point; Spencer had arrived out of the mall with his actual date. When the two cats hid behind a nearby van, they overheard Spencer speaking about how he callously blew off his other date and bring flowers to 'that pink one' the next time he saw her. _"There's the asshole with his actual date!" "Oh, instead of you get all violent and making a scene, I got an idea. Why don't I and the guys prank them a little? And when I say a little, I mean to start a war." _That there was a red flag being raised. The last time he, Dante, Shawn, and Ronny got into a prank war was a year ago, and that war was so disastrous (even though they won with an 'El Mongo' stink bomb in history class) it was a bloody miracle that they weren't expelled. But to see Jason taking tomato baths till his fur turned red was hilarious to her, despite Leo's resulting ambush by Jason and his crew. So she had to weigh the options… Take matters into her own hands and revenge herself on Spencer? Or let the prank master General and his military grade pranksters do the job for her and let them get their asses whooped in her stead? Eventually, she came to a conclusion.

"_Alright… you have been green-lighted to get them for me."_

"_Sweet. They won't know what hit 'em."_

"_But under one condition."_

"_And what was that?"_

"_There's one prank I want you to do for me. Something I've always wanted to do, but never got around to it."_

"_And that would be?"_

_*whisper* *whisper* *Whisper* *Whisper*_

"_Oh… ok… OH! That one? Oh hell ya we can do that one!"_

Aeris smiled. Leo maybe a total dumbass, but he was one to keep his word. And from what she told him, he wouldn't fail to disappoint.

"_Now that that business is over, let's get outta here. Plus… I got a good way to start off the war. Hint: It involves my insane driving."_

Aeris paled. Normally Leo would be a safe driver, but his insane variant was exactly as it was described. In fact, everyone was caught in the car once during his insane driving on a rush to GameStop in order to get Gears of War: Judgment. When he finally parked, Aeris kissed the floor then decked Leo. Dante nearly voided himself out of fear. Shawn was hard to remove from his seat since he literally engraved himself on the spot. Ronny claimed to have nearly soiled himself. In short, Leo's fast driving was considered death on wheels. But… if he would somehow use this on Spencer for ditching his date, then this was an overkill but desperately needed for of revenge.

_Permission granted" _Aeris smiled evilly. She knew Spencer needed punishment, plus she was curious as to see how this would work. The two got inside and Leo turned on the ignition.

"_Buckle your seatbelts and watch me scare the piss outta that douchebag Spencer." _If there were more seatbelts, EVERYONE would quadruple buckle themselves to the seat. With a maniacal laugh, Leo drove out of the parking spot and shot past Spencer, a little too close for comfort. As Spencer screamed in rage at, from his position, the unidentified driver, Aeris laughed. Nothing funnier than near vehicular manslaughter, she thought. As he turned onto the highway, she thanked her friend for doing her that favor. He said that was only part of it. Once the situation was relayed to his friends, the true revenge would begin. The drive was quiet, since Aeris already knew where he came from. After all, she did join in on the fun before she left for her 'date'. But once Leo started telling about the bungee jumping, she started laughing at the descriptive ways he told how everyone handled the jump. It did Leo some good, since he cheered her up even more than before. She was happy again, and that was the telltale sign of success. Once they arrived at the carnival, she was quickly greeted by their friends, some consoling, some plotting revenge in her stead. But all in all, they were glad that she wasn't upset about it. They decided to continue their reign of fun at the carnival till the sun started to set. Ashley tried the tilt-a-whirl with Shannon, while the 3 guys tried At that point, Ronny remembered that he had to be home before darkness falls in order for their planned video game binge too take place at Ronny's house. And again, everyone clenched the seats and started screaming curses and prayers while a certain feline drove like crazy through traffic, laughing insanely and saying, _"EAT YOUR HEART OUT, MARIO AND YOU KART DRVING PUSSIES!" _and other phrases. But, just on time, he got the crew to Ronny's house. Again, the actions were mixed upon exited. Some smacked Leo for his insane driving, one vomited (Dante), and others kissed the ground, making promises to walk instead of going on a crazy ass drive with Leo. Aeris, yet again decked him for that insane bout, even though she was getting used to it. Still didn't excuse Leo for his insanity, even though he could be considered insane in other areas and aspects of life. After all, he is Leo Orlando Leonardo the 3rd. When wasn't he crazy?

As everyone grabbed their things, everything was set and the games began. And, true to his word, Dante was promptly killed first, by the gray and pink felines, within 10 seconds of spawning in. _"DAMMIT! YOU GUYS SUCK SO MUCH!" _he yelled out in fury. Everyone simply laughed at his misfortune, while Leo sneered and headshot Ronny who wasn't paying any attention. This in turn got a scowl from Ronny, who swore vengeance on Leo for even doing that. The gang simply goofed around, chugging soda, playing awesome video games. Hell, even though she wasn't a fighting game type of person, Aeris still handled well on Street Fighter X Tekken. (Grnated she teamed up with Shannon, a veteran online player who did most of the work and decimated Shawn and Ronny.) The day wa simply, to put in a single word, epic. Since it was Saturady, the gang stayed over to continue their binge. Leo surprisingly fell asleep first. _"Hey… let's write on him!" "I'm a sensible high school student…" _Aeris started, but finished with, "_So yes, let's write on him."_ This elicited chuckles and a few giggles from Ashley, who seemed eager to try everything like this. By the following morning, Leo would be screaming obscenities when he saw his face in the bathroom, while everyone else would laugh at his expense. All and all, another Saturday at Ronny's, another well spent weekend. One everyone appreciated. After all, great friends do everything together for the sake of having fun and enjoying one another's presence. And even in school, this bond was strong to them all. After all, they were all best friends with each other. And that's how best friends rolled.

**Hi, everyone, it's me Lux. I apologize profusely about the delay, but I got into a shitload of trouble and was removed from my computer for a few months. I hope this will prove that I'm not finished yet. So, this is LuxUmbra2011 saying, "Ja'ne!'.**


	3. Chapter 3

Wassup, everybody!

Wassup, everybody!

It's me, the ever so epic Lux! Ok, let's skip the formalities and get started with chapter 3, the beginning of October! Bear in mind when I say, 'the story is built completely on how yayleo wanted it finished since I possess a notepad on how it is to be completed'.

How Did You Know?

Chapter 3

Falling: Part 1 of 2

Redone by LuxUmbra2011

School. Countless people worldwide hated the name and dreaded every last Monday. Students, teachers, faculty, janitors especially. The list goes on. But the weekend ended, a little bit too fast and now began another week at the world's most hated institute: School. And amongst those people who hated it, Shawn Roy was one of them. If anything, he would prefer to just skip school and practice his skateboarding tricks, but NO! His father woke him up and just HAD to get him ready for another day at that dreadful abomination that was called 'education'. It sucked, ROYALLY! But hell, that was school for ya. Oh well. At least, he decided, he could get some practice in while on the way. Who knows? Maybe he could mess with the officer Leo and Aeris called 'Schwartzen-Cop' and see him act like a total moron like how Shawn did last time? Who knows? Shawn figured he would find out soon enough. He had to get some breakfast in, because only a nut would go without breakfast.

Well, nuts and Dante ever since he took Insanity courses. His excuse was that the severity of the course made him puke. And for once, the human actually proved it when on his second week; he vomited, fortunately in Jason's path, after eating a slab of French toast. The result was that Jason slipped on the puddle and landed face first on the floor. Just another standard accident really. Another standard accident that proved later on that Aikido is an interesting form of self-defense martial arts. When Dante was questioned on how he knew he only responded, "I practice in my spare time." What spare time? He usually hangs with everyone throughout the course of the day.

Shawn wouldn't understand that enigma of a human being. But who cared right now? It's time for, guh, school. Headed to the kitchen, Shawn noticed his dad plopped on the table, reading the paper and eating some sunny-side up eggs. There was also a plate set up for Shawn as well. Sitting down, Shawn greeted his father a good morning and promptly devoured his preset food.

"_Morning, son."_

"_Hey, dad."_

Just the usual banter between a man and his son.

"_You are coming to the shop after school today? There are some boards that need to be repaired before the clientele returns later on. I'm almost done with them but I could use a hand."_

"_Sure dad. I'll swing by. I might be a little late. The guys have some things to discuss before I show up. That ok with you?"_

"_Sure son. Just don't be late."_

"_Alright. I gotta go. Thanks for breakfast! Later!"_

And with that, the teenager known as Shawn Roy left his home.

Dante 'Jeice' Riley was blushing really. You see, there was this one girl who attended high school with them that he had kind of a crush on. A human Caucasian woman by the name of Tammy Stoakes. Fair black hair tied in a ponytail, emerald green eyes, and a great figure. And you see he finally did what he originally thought was impossible: secure a date. The last 10 minutes were the happiest of his teenage years, now that he did something his other friends, aside Ronny, had done. In fact, he was so happy that he didn't see Shawn zoom by on his skateboard, a certain buff officer of the law following on foot. Dante shook his head then counted down.

"5… 4… 3… 2… 1… Now."

*slam* "DAMMIT! I'LL GET YOU ONE DAY, KID!"

What happened was Shawn kick flipped pretty high, high enough to jump Spencer's car as it drove by, Schwartzen-Cop slamming into it. Short version; ouch. Dante snickered a little as the officer recovered to his feet and angrily stormed off.

"Sucker…:

At the same time, Dante could hear Spencer, as he parked his car, yelling and screaming about his car being damaged and how he swore he would make Shawn suffer for what happened. Dante simply frowned. So this is how the war against Spencer begins, with a little near vehicular manslaughter, again. Oh how interesting this particular war would be. And near vehicular manslaughter? Aeris would definitely be pleased, especially since it was Schwartzen-Cop who nearly got killed, she hated him and how prejudiced he was against animals. But who cared about that matter? Not Dante 'DJ' Riley. At least not right now.

Ronald 'Ronny' Blue had just crossed the street that made the halfway point to school. Sure, he could've driven but today felt a little different. Call it that 'strange feeling' but today just felt different. Walking beside a large brick wall with a hedge above, Ronny contemplated on how today could've been different. Maybe Leo did something smart? … … … Hell no. The guy is so impulsive; he'd eat cereal off his head if allowed. And baste a thanksgiving turkey on top of his cereal. In short, Leo doing something intelligent, by Aeris' standards of intelligent, that wasn't happening any time within this lifetime. But that made Leo exactly who he is today, the impulsive hyperactive nutcase known as Leo. And the rest of the group. Ashley, Sha-

"DUDE! LOOK OUT!"

"HOLY-"

Shawn had barely dodged a trekking Ronny. Seeing that it was Ronny, Shawn stopped and approached him.

"Jeez Shawn! You almost ran me over!"

"Sorry, man. Was doing pretty good till you popped up!"

"Every Monday with this. You're gonna wind up killing me with that, and then all the ladies will grieve at my funeral."

"Suuuuurrrrrrreeeee, Ronny. Whatever you say."

"Least I get dates!"

"Not really concerned over that factor. I got other things to handle."

"What are you? Gay?"

"Oh up yours, Ronny! Up yours!"

"Heheh. In any case, ready for another agonizing day of school?"

"I'm ready for today, but more for the Prankmaster General's new scheme."

"Oh, yeah, I almost forgot. Spence is so gonna get it for yesterday."

"I already did my due on him."

"Let me guess… That buff racist officer?"

"Yup. Tricked him into slamming into Spence's car during a getaway."

"Spencer is gonna hunt you down for that one."

"Uh… dude?"

"Yeah?"

Dante: "BOOGA!"

"Yipe!"

"Scared ya, Shawn."

"GODDAMN YOU, DANTE AND THOSE NINJA FEET!"

"I was gonna warn you about Dante appearing behind you."

"Jesus, Dante, why do you do that?"

"Cause its fun."

"He's got a valid point. Watching him scare the crap outta you is funny."

"Kiss my ass, Shawn. So, Dante, you up for the Prankmaster General's evil plans?"

"When aren't I? Uh Ronny?

"Yeah?"

"HI RONNY!"

"SHIT!"

Shannon: "Hi guys!"

"Jesus Christ! Ya scared the crap outta me. Geez."

"No wonder Dante likes doing this. It's fun."

"Ugh… that just leaves out Ashley and the gray and pink furballs."

"Oh, they already got there."

"Huh?"

"While we were talking I saw Leo drive by with the girls in his car, flicking us off."

"THAT ASSHOLE!"

And with that, the gaggle of pals ran towards school, some people ready to exact revenge on a certain idiot.

Later that day at 11:45, Lunch Break

Aeris Cole was having a pretty good day. Perfect scores on her homework assignments, no one starting any arguments, no one being stupid enough to enrage her, no one being stupid in general, even, shockingly, Leo included, so she had to give him credit. In fact, him not being stupid, it proved her 'Leo is a dumbass' theory. He intentionally chooses to be stupid, instead of taking the route filled with common sense. And that note was finished. That still left her with 'Ronny the pervert' and 'Dante; what is he?" Emphasis on WHAT. And hopefully this would be a pleasant lunch with her friends that hopefully won't in disaster but considering the company she keeps, she wouldn't be surprised if it did, especially considering… HIM. The absolute sultan of stupidity, the duke of dumbasses, the king of klutzes, Leo himself. Nothing was EVER calm and tranquil whenever HE was involved in a situation. It's been like this for several years, even when he could barely stand on two legs, he STILL caused disasters, even ripping apart her favorite stuffed teddy bear, McStuffins. But still… It was typical of him to do things like that, hell, even Aeris herself admitted that things just weren't the same without the supreme dumbass not around. Speaking of…

"Hi, Aeris. Mind if I sit here?" Still using manners, despite his… notorious reputation.

"Yeah." And still retaining the good day mood.

"Where's everyone else?"

"They'll be here in a sec. I've got everything set up for Spencer. Did you bring the goods?"

"Yeah. Here you go."

Aeris dug into her pockets and pulled out a flash drive. But it wasn't an ordinary drive. Oh no… This was what Dante and other internet savvy people called a 'YAOI BOMB' drive. Oh the possibilities with this item. But Aeris' was so dangerous it would auto infect whatever PC it was plugged into. But that's where the tech savvy enigma, Dante Riley, would step in. This bomb, which she spent all night developing, was her form of payback against Spencer and how she was stood up at the mall and her secret request on the list of things to do against Spencer. Personally, she would enjoy this, for revenge is a dish served… 'man-on-man porn viewing closet homo' style. She then extended her paw and gave Leo the flash drive. An evil smile crossed her features as she asked, "I have your word about this?" Leo in turn would grin devilishly as he answered, "Oh, Spencer won't know what hit him. Mwahahaha…"

"Evil laughing again, fuzzball?"

Leo: "Oh hey Dante. Wondering where you went. Where'd you go?"

Dante: "Oh, I met with Tammy again."

Leo: "Your girlfriend… hehehehe…"

Dante: "Silence! I keel you! Silence! I keel you!"

Aeris: "You can stop copying Achmed the Dead Terrorist now."

Dante: "Sorry. He's just damn funny. Anyway, I'll stick for the bombing, assuming Aeris provided the goods?"

Aeris: "Leo has it."

Dante: "Good. But afterwards I can't stay. I have a date tonight."

Aeris: "… … …"

Leo: "You asked her out? Cool! Finally, someone else has the whole 'I have a date tonight excuse', besides that damn Ronny."

Dante: "Aeris, I apologize if I hit any weak points about tonight. Forgive me."

Aeris wasn't pretty pleased about hearing that. It did strike a chord because it reminded her about yesterday. But Dante was considerate enough to apologize so, this time, she spared him from her anger attacks.

Aeris: "It's fine."

Dante: "Thanks. Also, the others should be here in a moment. Ronny tried flirting and got bitch-slapped pretty hard. Wouldn't blame the chick for doing that. Ronny assumes himself a ladies man, but boy that isn't true."

The two cats snickered a little at hearing Ronny's misfortune. It wasn't the first time Ronny suffered a little for his cheesy crap.

And with that the others arrived, after claiming their lunch of course and sat down. The mood was always bright with them, crazy with Leo's antics, but the mood was bright. And that did pretty well for her peace of mind. But she was a little upset. Sure, the guys and girls that she was friends with brightened her spirits, but the fact was simple. Aeris could, no, wasn't on the dating list. Sure the other girls were asked, but she never had that opportunity, not counting the event with that asshole Spencer. So yeah, that was a justified reason to be a little upset, something that, for a brief moment, made her crestfallen at the thought of Dante going out with a girl, something Shawn dropped his jaw at. Hoping no one noticed her fallen attitude, Aeris quickly smarted off Dante saying that she hoped Tammy wasn't a boy in disguise, even though she knew full well that Tammy was a girl. That resulted in a good 'FUCK YOU' from the human. But in truth, someone noticed her fallen face… the dork sitting next to him named Leo. It sucked for him to see her fall back into that depression he tried hard yesterday to bring her back from. He mentally swore he would speak to her after all is said and done. But now, he just conversed with the others, all while secretly planning Phase 1. The YAOI bomb…

School, Computer Room, 3:15 P.M.

"Now then, if you haven't finished your assignments, hurry up and finish them before the bell rings."

"Yes. Ma'am."

Leo absolutely dreaded computer class and learn about proper typing and all that other jazz. He hated it. The only reason that he actually liked it today was because the three people he needed was here. Shannon for distraction, Dante for hacking, and Spencer for being the target of the bomb. Since all of the computer systems were directly connected, which explained to Leo as to who keeps shutting off his videogame emulators every time he tried playing during class, then Dante could hack himself straight into Spencer's PC, and since Spencer was checking his e-mail, Dante could send the virus straight into his e-mail account. It would take months to undo the damage that Leo's Phase 1 scheme would soon cause… Leo shiftily looked around; making sure no one was looking.

"Dante… coast is clear. Spencer's in his e-mail. Go!" Leo silently whispered to Dante. Nodding, he reactivated his PC (he long time ago finished the assignment. Computers are his expertise.) and silently bypassed the student-teacher connection. Now he had total access to every PC in the room. Taking the hard drive, he plugged it in, out of the teachers' sight. Opening it, Dante barely contained the virus. "Shannon, you're up!" Shannon nodded in reply and began to talk with Spencer. More along the lines of sultry and promiscuous talking. And like any other buffoon in the world, Spencer fell for it, hook, line, and sinker. Taking the chance, Dante transferred the virus into Spencer's e-mail account. All that was left was to wait for Spencer to open the letter containing the virus, and pray he doesn't trash it. To sweeten the deal, Dante maxxed out Spencer's PC volume, so it would catch EVERYONE'S attention. Severing the connection, all that had to be done was wait…

…

…

…

…

"HURTS SO GOOD!"

"TO THE LEFT!"

"HARDER! HARDER!"

Almost immediately, everyone spun to the source of the commotion, Spencer's PC and everyone who saw was immediately disgusted by what they saw. Thousands of images, ranging from fan yaoi to real gay porn was playing on Spencer's PC and everyone looked at Spencer in disgust while he screamed that someone bugged his e-mail. Of course no one believed that played out excuse, even though Spencer was telling the truth. In short, the teenager just lost a huge amount of respect with others and this rumor would be circling for weeks… Mission accomplished.

Once the word spread, even the nerds Spencer asserted himself over spoke openly about Spencer's shame and were pleased to see that he could only shake off and move on. Spencer's ego took a pretty big dent too, and this called for a celebration, especially for Leo's group. The gang stuck together, the boy's and Shannon, proud of their accomplishment. And hearing Spencer's angry rant, to from when Leo told her about it, made Aeris very pleased with their accomplishment. All in all, a good day turned into a much pleasant one. But the end of the day, the still had homes to go to, except Dante since he had a date tonight. And before she knew it, everyone, one by one, they were gone. Everyone… except Leo, since he drove her to school. The air was quiet at first… until Leo was first to speak…

Leo: "So… How ya doing?"

An awkward way of opening up a conversation but still a good way in its own right.

Aeris: "I'm fine… You guys are good. I thought for sure that Spencer would catch or something, but he's steamed over what happened today. Thanks, Leo. I really appreciate the thought of everyone doing this for me."

Leo: "Hey! We're buds. We look out for one another. Hell, if I got stood up by a chick, I'm sure you'd do the same."

Aeris: "Not really… But still thanks."

Leo: "You sure you ok? I saw your face after Dante said he was going out."'

Aeris: "… Not really. I mean… look at me. I'm nothing special… So why would Spencer even ask me out in the first place?"

Leo: "Because he's an ass, and trust me when I say 'this is only the beginning!"

Aeris: "But still… I'm not like those other girls… I'm not good-"

Leo: "Ok, Aeris, that's enough. This is coming from a guy's stand point, not mine, I repeat, not mine, but Spencer missed out on a wonderful girl who had such a great personality and good looks. Never let anyone say otherwise like how you usually do, with a good punch in the face."

Aeris: "… … … Thanks."

Leo: "You're welcome. I'm serious about the stand point. You're a friend to me, and I look out for my friends."

It wasn't easy, but yet again, he made her smile in appreciation. Yet again, he made her smile.

'She smiles pretty cutely though… WAIT, WHAT AM I SAYING!?"

Shaking the thought out of his head, Leo drove on till he stopped at her home first.

Aeris: "Thanks, Leo. Again, I appreciate it."

Leo: "No prob. Just wait and see what Spencer gets next time."

Aeris: "Can't wait. See ya."

Leo: "Later."

And with that Aeris closed the door. Leo then turned the car around and drove home, where his parents and little brother waited. At home, he was greeted by his parents, Karen and Leo the 2nd, and his pint sized kid brother, Tommy, all of them warmly welcoming him home.

Tommy: "Big brother? Can we play Gears of War 3? I wanna finish it today!"

Leo: "Sure bro. Just after I get some of mom's lasagna. Been dying to get a bite."

Tommy: "Ok… Just eat fast, I can't stay up late."

And after dinner, Leo upheld his promise and played Gears of War 3. Leo's gaming skill somehow rubbed off on his little brother as he made an effective partner throughout the campaign. The two worked in sync, working back to back, especially during ambushes, and today, the two arrived at the top secret island where Adam Fenix was being held prisoner by the Locust Queen herself, Myrrah. It looked like the final battle was at hand… that is until Tommy's bedtime came around.

Karen: "Tommy! Time for bed!"

Tommy: "Aww!"

Leo: "Eh, don't worry, kid. We'll finish tomorrow ok?"

Tommy: "Ok…"

And so departs 10 year old Tommy, begrudgingly, to bed. And an hour later, so followed his older brother, but not before a quick shower. And as Leo snugged underneath his comforter, the last thing he saw in his mind's eye was Aeris' smile. The image warmed his heart for some weird reason…

**And that ends Chapter 3. I'm happy to accomplish this in record time and I hope you all enjoy. This is LuxUmbra2011 saying, '"Ja'ne".**


	4. Chapter 4

**YEAH! IT'S ME AGAIN! TIME FOR ANOTHER CHAPTER! I'm on a roll!**

How Did You Know

Chapter 4

Falling Part 2 of 2

Done By LuxUmbra2011

Based off of the original plotline of HDYK done by yayleo.

A/N: I'm introducing another OC. Dante's older, college-bound, brother, Virgil Riley. I'll flesh him out in the intro

The day is October 14th, 20XX.

Thanksgiving Day. A day in which everyone felt the festive holidays. Leo, Aeris, Shawn, Ashley, Shannon. Ronny, Dante, Tammy; they all felt the festivities and enjoyed them openly. It's been a month after the computer event involving Spencer and he still doesn't have a clue as to who's responsible. It made Dante, and his older brother Virgil, laugh pretty hard. Virgil was pretty proud of his little brother's two achievements, go out on a date, and ruin the reputation of the most popular boy in school. Cruel revenge, but justified in its own right, especially since one of their own was hurt by Spencer's ignorance. Sure, Dante's loyalty was a little weird, and he himself was a little weird, but he never understood the friend deal for many years, which is why he owed it to the nutcase furball. If it wasn't for him, then Dante would've never befriended Shawn, Ronny, and the others, or have enough confidence to ask his new girlfriend, Tammy Stoakes, on a date a month ago. Yup, he personally had to thank Leo and the others for being the first friends the human ever had in his life. And now, for his first friends, h was celebrating thanksgiving at Ronny's home, with all of the families invited. Everyone whipped up one meal apiece so everyone could sample one another's meals. The two brothers decided on making sweet potato pie and pumpkin pie for the party. Their special homemade recipe nonetheless. In Dante's perspective, he hoped everyone would like their pies since they've been making multiple batches of the savory and delicious pies for the Thanksgiving feast.

Virgil: "And that makes No. 10. We are done!"

Dante: "Nice. We'll knock 'em dead with these things!"

The two bros bro-fisted each other in pride of their confectionary creations. No one would dare resist the aroma of a Riley pie. Especially not the pie-hungry older man known purely as Leo the 2nd. Dante was certain that half of them would be finished by him. It was 2'o clock. Certainly the others would either be finished or still working on their individual meals.

Dante: "I just hope that Ronny holds his word about the turkeys."

Virgil: "Me too bro. And I pray that these pies don't go to waste. We spent a long while making these things!"

Dante: "Considering whose showing up, I'm sure they'll be eaten during the feast. Thanks for the help Virgil."

Virgil: "Eh, no problem. Stopping by from Cali after a while does me some good. What I should thank is you taking me to the feast with your friends. I'm interested in the company you keep, my little pipsqueak brother."

Dante: "You'll like them. I'm sure of it. Just… Beware Leo, under all circumstances, beware Leo."

Virgil: "Who's Leo?'

Dante: "You'll know him when you see him."

The time is now 3:00 P.M.

The Coles were prepared for the feast at the Blue's residence. All that remained was the honey-coated hams that were cooking in the oven. The savory meat was to be cooked to perfection, and now, that succulent pig was nearing completion. Oh, how many would complement the delicious pork dripping oh so easily down their throats after having their taste buds on a journey. After all, the Coles made honey-coated hams every time at Thanksgiving and EVERYONE in their family LOVED honey-coated ham. All that remained… was time.

…

…

…

"IT'S READY!" shouted Vincent as the timer finally went off, signifying that the hams, at long last, were complete. Daniel Cole immediately went down to the kitchen; oven-mitts on hand and carefully, oh-so-carefully pulled the hams out of the oven. "Mm! That smells great, dad!" Aeris complemented over the ham, but then again, when is it ever not good? "I know it does, Aeris. After all, aside the turkey, the ham has been a tradition since our family started." "And now we share that tradition with your friends and their families. Hopefully that Leo won't do anything stupid." "Dad, its Leo we're talking about." Aeris chimed. "Good point." Daniel replied. After all, Leo the 3rd was the king of unpredictability… "But he's cool! Maybe-"Vincent started, but was cut off by his older sister. "Vincent, DO NOT finish that sentence unless you know what's good for you." "Yes, Aeris…" Vincent recently had been making a certain joke ever since Aeris told the other girls about how Leo cheered her up with that pep talk he gave a month ago. And that joke had run its course since she had grown quite sick of it. They were friends and nothing more. Leo himself confirmed it. But it was still nice of him to cheer her up. That much she could give to the idiot. "Alright everyone, get ready because we are leaving in a few minutes now that hams are ready!" Samantha called out, causing the three Coles who nearly had a sample of the ham groan, even the patriarch, and disperse. "She always seems to know when we try…"

The time is 4:00 P.M.

As Leo disembarked from the car, he already saw that everyone else had arrived. Carrying the collard greens and corn muffins, Leo walked inside, following his parents, who were immediately greeted by Ronny's own, then the Coles themselves, Mr. Blue, and so on and so forth. As the adults were conversing, Leo deposited the food in the kitchen then left to the game room, where everyone, including Aeris' little brother, who Tommy immediately greeted. And… a tall, muscular, dreadlock sporting, tan colored human male. This person immediately noticed his presence and strode towards him, making a motion to greet the cat. Until Dante called out, "Virgil, that's Leo! Be careful, dude!" This Virgil person turned his head and nodded to Dante and said, "He looks harmless."

At that, EVERYONE THERE FROZE, giving Virgil an 'are you serious' look. Aeris then spoke, "Listen, Virgil… This is Leo, a guy so insane; he kept beating up an old woman on Grand Theft Auto for 45 minutes straight." Virgil raised an eyebrow, before saying, "Yikes, that IS crazy." And with that Virgil walked away. Leo was confused. "Hey! Who's Virgil?" Dante then answered, "He's my older brother." Leo instantly dropped his jaw. Ronny then spoke, "We ALL did that. Hell, I thought Dante was an only child. He never spoke up." Dante: "Your reactions are priceless to me." Tammy, who also attended to have dinner with her boyfriend and his friends, then spoke up, "He's a mystery sometimes, but no bad things." Leo shrugged. So what the weirdest one of the bunch had an older brother. That meant more competition in gaming… that is if Virgil was a gamer. But Leo very swiftly got that answer when he challenged Virgil on Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 and was defeated within the span of 7 minutes. Everyone was floored at that. Dante spoke, "My brother has participated personally in a few campaigns, so he knows how war really is." Leo responded, "YOU COULD'VE TOLD ME BEFORE I HAD MY ASS KICKED, DANTE!" "Nah, it's funnier that way, plus your face is priceless." Everyone agreed simultaneously, hell, even Leo's brother Tommy shook his head in agreement. "TOMMY! YOU BLOOD TRAITOR!" "I FOLLOW THE STRONGER SIDE!" Tommy responded. Vincent then added, much to Leo's chagrin, "Ouch, dude. Betrayed by your own brother."

Leo: T_T

The feast was fantastic. Everyone truly enjoyed their meals, delicious collard greens, buttered warm cornbread, succulent honey coated ham, savory turkey, yummy homemade macaroni and cheese, green bean casserole, cinnamon kissed cranberry sauce, and green beans with caramelized shallots, tasty mashed potatoes, even a type of stuffing no one had ever had before, courtesy of Shawn: Shitake Mushroom stuffing. Of course the original, traditional stuff came along as well. In short, a delicious feast that no one would forget for a long time. As the adults sat in the main dining room area, the others sat in a secondary, yet nearly as big, dining room with everyone eating their own individual meal.

"Yum, the casserole is good."

"Someone pass the mashed potatoes!"

"More ham!"

"Wait till everyone else gets a slab, Aeris!"

"Please pass the mac and cheese!"

"Stuffing please!"

"I'll try that shitake stuff!"

"Cranberry sauce!'

"Bathroom break!"

That last one got a few laughs out.

After an excessively long clean-up, everyone settled in… for the best part of Thanksgiving dinner, the desserts. Oh, the pies, pumpkin, sweet potato, apple, etc. and there was so much to even be had! Who wouldn't resist the aroma of pie? NO ONE I TELL YA!

"Finally! Some of mom's coconut cream pie!" Ronny spoke out, catching the attention of a few coconut pie lovers.

"Give me some!"

"PIE!"

"Get your own!"

In short, it was pretty hectic serving dessert, with several more slices per snack cake to go. And even more so when everybody started eating the treats. Since Vincent and Tommy were stuffed, they left to go play video games in the living room. Leaving everyone else stuffing their faces like pigs. As they ate, Leo motioned for a slice of blueberry… until his arm was whacked away by Ashley who got a slice. But when she did, his arm smacked Dante's pie, hitting the human in the face. Everyone froze at that moment. "Leo…" Dante rasped with deadly venom. Leo gulped. "Payback." And with that Dante smashed Leo with a slice of coconut cream pie. "So that's how ya wanna play, huh?" Leo questioned, then grabbed his pie and threw it. It missed and unfortunately struck Shawn in the chest. Shawn responded with a fast throw that struck Ronny after he missed both. Ronny tossed his, and it missed all three. Ronny's shot missed entirely, but still hit Shannon as she returned from a bathroom break. Everyone froze when they saw Shannon being struck. That is, until Leo and Ronny simultaneously yelled, "WET T-SHIRT CONTEST!" The response was an insanely pissed off Aeris grabbing the both of them by their throats and slammed them into the slices they were eating. Shannon seemed a little disappointed. "Aww! We could've seen who's hotter!" The girls faced her with mixed looks, until the boys slammed pies into their faces. "Great distraction, Shannon!" Ronny called out as he ducked a cherry pie slice throw at him by Dante. And lo and behold the chaos that would forever be known as 'Pie Kombat' by the group. As the teens fought it out while the adults watched, their attention now finally turned onto their children, Virgil, who scooted a safe distance away, could only say, "These guys are the weirdest bunch of high school kids I've met… Good thing Dante keeps good friends around but they are cleaning that shit up."

And after being berated by their folks, they did clean up the mess… it took them all an hour to do so, it was that messy.

"Dammit… my shirt's ruined." Aeris called out. "Hang on a sec. I'm just going to switch out of this shirt." She finished and walked off.

After she left, Ronny spoke silently to Leo, "Hey… ever wonder what she'd look like without the pink shirt?"

Leo instantly blushed as the image crossed his mind. Ronny sneered knowing he struck a chord, but was promptly smacked by a still blushing Leo.

Ashley, who heard them as she was passing by, slapped Ronald for saying something like that. Sure, Ronny has said a few things, but that was pushing the button a little bit too many times.

"I'd expect you to do that. And if you try, I hope she removes your ability to have kids!" Leo responded.

"Somebody's got a soft spot for Toronto's pink nightmare!"

"Yeah, sure, whatever. At least I don't get bitch slapped on a day by day basis whenever I ask girls out, Ronny…"

"You've never asked any girl out. Might as well be- OOF!"

Leo had promptly pulled an Aeris and decked him across the head. "Ronny, don't finish that sentence… Unless you want to find out what PAIN is."

Everyone seemed a little surprised… Leo was NEVER this defensive. Maybe he wasn't feeling ok… Who knew? After all, it is the most unpredictable guy the world has ever produced… But with him, that particular thought came back… and even though he shook it off, he felt his heart flutter. "Eh… Maybe I'm imaging things… Stupid puberty… Yeah, that's it. Stupid puberty. Making me attracted to girls… *mumble*"

All in all, everyone had a great time, from start to finish, from the feast to the messy pie fight. And not one person left unsatisfied… but they were grounded for the pie fight.

The day is October 31st…

The infamous day of Halloween had finally arrived. The time was now to see who officially had the best costumes out of the group. From what Leo heard, Dante made his own, Ronny made his own, and Shawn bought a very impressive one from Party City. Leo grinned as he looked himself over in his Gears of War COG costume, Lancer included. A rare one it was, and after putting black makeup on, he could officially say that he was Marcus Fenix. His parents decided to stay behind to hand out their candy, but Leo was forced to take Tommy along. Not exactly a bad thing since Vincent was coming along as well. In any case, all that remained was to meet up with everyone so they could plan a route of houses to hit for treats.

"Ok… the meeting spot should be right… over…" I started but stopped when he saw everyone else. Dante was dressed in both clothes and rags, wielding a blood-red light saber. Ronny was wearing a parka; A big orange one that covered his face till only his eyes were viewable. Shawn was garbed in black ops clothes that almost made it so he blended into the night. Ashley was dressed as a commonplace witch, but the makeup for it was far beyond others, meaning she must've seen someone to do her makeup before she left home to meet up with the others. Shannon was dressed as, sadly, a nurse. I understand Shannon's pretty… promiscuous, but come on! A nurse outfit!? My little brother's here with me! Vanessa Richardson's cousin, Clarissa decided to hang with us tonight, which is surprising… I mean, Vanessa is one of the popular ones… Oh well. She was dressed as a blood red demoness. It looked really good, especially for her. Oh… DAMN HORMONES! And it looks like Aeris is a no show for the moment. "Yo, Marcus Fenix! Sweet costume! And Tommy's one of the lambent wretches? Where'd you find these sweet dregs man?" Shawn asked. I smiled to myself, since everyone was looking and fawning over our costumes. Ronny walked over till he accidentally slipped on his shoelaces, causing him to fall face first into the dirt. Before I could say anything, Dante said, "Oh my God! They killed Ronny!" then Shawn said, "You Bastards!" I almost instantly realized that joke and started laughing alongside everyone else. A South Park joke… Nice. "Tommy!" I heard Vincent call out, and then I saw the little squirt dressed as a hunter from Left for Dead. Nice again. "Hi guys!" "I heard Aeris call out to us as she finally showed… up… in… a…

"Dude! Nice C. Viper costume!"

"I'M NOT C. VIPER!"

"Street Fighter!"

"IT'S MEN IN BLACK! IT'S JUST A SLIGHTLY SMALLER SIZE!"

"It really brings out the curves."

"I'll say!

"Now we gotta play the 'who's hottest' game!"

"SHUT UP RONNY!"

I found myself yelling that… Weird. I guess I was more focused about the sweets and just didn't want Ronny to waste any time. Unlike the other perverts in the group (that consisted of Shannon, Ronny, and in this case Shawn), I was nice and complemented her costume, even though it was nothing special. Sorry to be mean, but it really wasn't special. She actually appreciated my thanks and then punched Shawn, who was still guffawing at her costume. Oh, the impulse to copy Aeris right then and there, but she's strong enough to drive her point across, judging from Shawn gripping his gut in pain. She held up her fist to Ronny, who immediately shut up. Heheh… now that was funny. The old intimidation tactic. I won't lie, in the terms of fighting, Aeris is the undisputed strongest of the lot of us. Granted, me, Ronny, Shawn, and Dante never really 'fight' fight, and the others prefer not to. Ashley because 'fighting is wrong' and Shannon so her looks won't get messed up. What… a… charmer… In any case we were all set for tonight, and hopefully nothing would happen because I'm staying tame tonight, meaning nothing crazy on my part. And hopefully my mind will stop thinking about girls! GODDAMN PUBERTY! STOP MAKING ME THINK ABOUT HER!

75 minutes in…

Shawn's POV

What a sweeeeeeet haul! The buckets are full, the spares are full, our pockets are full, and we cleaned a few houses, basically, an excellent way to end this night of horrors. Before I could talk to anyone, my phone rang all of a sudden… Weird… who the hell's XXX-XXX-XXXX? I answered it.

"Hello?"

"I am going to fucking kill both you and that damn Dante."

"Who is this!?"

"Who else, dipshit! It's Spencer! Tell that human I know it was him who bombed my e-mail account and I haven't forgotten about you and the skateboard incident, jackass. You're dead, YOU BOTH ARE DEAD! And Jason has a score to settle with those other two pricks! SO THEY'RE DEAD TOO! YOU ALL ARE FUCKING DEAD!"

*click*

"Oh shit…"

Everyone looked at me when I said that.

"What's wrong, Shawn?" Ashley asked me.

"Guys… I mean male guys… Run." I said as I took off running as a certain car swerved into view behind us.

"Why?" Leo dumbly asked.

"AHHH! RUN, YOU SONS OF BITCHES, RUN! SPENCER KNOWS! HE'S COMING!"

"OH SHIT!" Ronny yelled as he and the others (the four of us guys) took off running as Spencer neared us, coming out of the window with a fully loaded paintball gun. Oh fuck…

The lot of us ran like hell, ducking and covering from the shots from Spencer as he angrily fired at us with that paintball gun. For me, it was a nightmare because I was in this damn parka, and I'm sure that the others were tiring out in their costumes. In short we are so fucked. Spencer pulled ahead of us, causing us to freeze in our tracks as Spencer and his crew, plus Jason, disembarked and started running at us, with murderous gazes in their eyes. "YOU'RE DEAD!" Spencer screamed as we turned around and ran for it. I realized that the closest place to us was my pad, so hopefully we could gain enough distance to get there, unlock the door, and get inside to safety. Hopefully… But they were wearing plain clothes, not heavy and hot Halloween costumes. We're so screwed!

"GET BACK HERE, YOU GODDAMN N*****!"

Dante froze at that… Oh no…

With icy venom in his voice, Dante urged us to go on ahead while he teaches Spencer a lesson in pain. "That's crazy talk, Dante! Spencer will kill you! You bugged his address so he'll-*WHACK*" I started but Spencer tackled me down, and then put his foot on my chest. When I looked up, he was pointing the paintball gun… straight at my left eye. "Let's find out what happens when I pull the trigger." Spencer spoke with deadly malice. I gulped… I'm about to be blinded.

"HEY SPENCER! YOU ENJOY THE MAN ON MAN ACTION? BET YOU POPPED A STIFFY WHEN YOU GOT THE SHOW!"

"FUCK YOU!" Spencer yelled before dashing for Dante.

"THIS IS YOUR CHANCE! GO! I'LL BE FINE! JUST GO!"

And at that, we ran, none of us looking behind… But all of us praying that he came through safely…

Later that night when we tried searching for him, Aeris picked us up, telling us his girlfriend, Tammy, found him at the park… when we found him, we were graced with a horrible sight. Bloodied, beaten and bruised, he was laying face up, sand covering his wounds, his costume torn to shreds and his left arm broken… We all felt horrible… I just didn't want to look… but when I heard the message he left said, "One down, three to go." EVERYONE there felt a small pit of anger course through us. I could tell by the balled up fists, especially from his older brother Virgil. Dante was down and out… for a month at best…

Spencer… this means war.

**And that ends this Chapter. As of right now, war has been declared between Spencer's and Leo's group. Hope you enjoyed this chapter as much as I did writing it. This is LuxUmbra2012 saying, "Ja'ne".**


	5. Chapter 5

Time for another.

How did you know?

Originally done by yayleo

Redone by LuxUmbra2012

Chapter 5

Icy Chill. Part 1 of 2

The month is November

Leo's POV

All of us were angry over what happened to Dante… I personally swore revenge. No one messes with us and get away with it. But that time would come later; cause now, Spencer and his gang were officially on our tails about what happened when Dante hacked his PC and e-mail account. Poor guy. He was admitted to the hospital for his injures, and due to his broken arm, he couldn't perform any school work, and his leg took some damage too, so he was removed from school until he healed, which would be a month from now. Damn you Spencer. I swear I'll get you one day… But now, I shouldn't worry about Dante's condition, I should worry about this DAMN MATH TEST! I gotta pass this thing; otherwise I'm in big trouble!

Aeris' POV

That's a trick question. The answer is B. This test is way too damn easy. Well for me, it is. I can see the idiot groaning as he tried to answered the questions with what little ability he had in this field. How stupid can ya get? But I did have to remember the profile I developed on him. He just chooses to be stupid. Well, even though I gave him a hand when it came to studying yesterday for the test, he still had problems. That made me ask myself, 'Is he dyslexic?" That was a possibility considering his grades, or maybe he didn't practice like I said due to distractions, or maybe he just stuck true to my theory and was just an idiot. Most likely the last one. I'd be surprised if it was the other options. Oh, looks like times up. I smirked, knowing full well what my grade was going to be, since I studied for this. Not sure what he'd get. Probably something on the edge of passing and failing. Since we had time, the teacher took the time to grade our papers and decided to announce our grades.

"Dante Riley?"

Spencer sneered when that name was mention, then spoke up, "He had an 'accident' and isn't coming to school for a while."

'FUCK YOU, SPENCER!' I screamed in my head. When I turned to see Leo, I swear he's seeing red right now.

"Spencer. 79."

Leo laughed, catching Spencer's attention, and the cheetah just glared at Leo with hatred burning in his eyes. Truthfully, it served Spencer right. He IS a jackass, like Leo said. And I hope that Spencer rots in hell for what he did to Dante. Sure, I hardly know the enigma but he's polite where politeness is required, not to mention he's the smart guy, so basically, we're both in the same position when it comes down to it. Two smart people surrounded by nerds, but we're nerds as well.

"Aeris. 100."

Yes! Just as planned. No one can beat me grade wise. No one!

"Leo, 97."

WHAT THE HELL!?

"HAH!" Leo laughed louder than last time. "I guess you're the dumbass now, Spence!"

As much as I don't want to admit it… He's right. I guess Spencer is the new dumbass. Purest irony, granted I'm gonna have to ask Leo how in the absolute hell did he get a 97 when I saw him panicking like absolute hell during the test.

"Class dismissed! Go get your lunch."

Finally… Been waiting for this for a while. It's hard sitting around a pack of idiots who don't know basic calculus, and I can say that. After all, Leo is the supreme king of them. No. I have to stop speaking so poorly of him so often. He wouldn't pull off such a complicated plan if he was stupid by default. I just have to remember, that he chooses ignorance. It must truly be bliss for him since he continues to choose it over common sense. In any case, with class dismissed I grabbed my things, and headed out. But before I did, Spencer stopped Leo just outside of class when he took a swing at him. Thankfully, Leo dodged it. The last thing I wanted was for another friend of mine to wind up in the hospital, especially Leo of all people. Why him? I don't know. Maybe because he's been my childhood friend and things would just get boring without him around. Surprisingly, Leo didn't react back at Spencer. He just walked away, much to Spencer's ire. Good for him. Normally, I would expect for him to start a fight he definitely couldn't win since I know Spencer is pretty strong, as Shawn tells that they are the top in their P.E. class. No wonder the others didn't want to physically cross him, especially since he alone took down Dante like that. But now's not the time for me to worry about Spencer. I'll save that for another time. But before I could go, I was stopped by the cheetah himself.

"_Hey babe. Sorry about missing the mall date. Slipped my mind. Let me make it up to you." _Spencer spoke, having some dumbass grin on his face, that smug air of confidence just radiating off of him. He makes me sick. _"Sure." _ I smiled sweetly to him, looking through a small crack in my eyes, waiting for the chance. He dropped his guard. _"You can make it up with THIS!" _And with no further warning… I smashed my leg clean in his crotch, catching everyone's eyes. "_WHAT THE FUCK- OWW- WAS THAT FOR?" _Spencer yelled while falling to the floor, holding his crotch in anguish. "_I saw you with that other girl, Claudia. Fucking cheat. Keep your disgusting hands away from me." _I spat, literally on him, and then left, some girls glaring at Spencer, some at me for doing that to him, but then I saw Vanessa…. Laughing? She opened her eyes for a moment, recovering from her fit of laughter then… thumbed upped me? What the hell is going on here? This is getting confusing. I'm outta here.

Later that day…

The end of fall meant only one thing: The coming of the frozen blankets of snow that signified the start of Canada's notoriously cold winter. Oh winter, such a beautiful time for many, the holidays, the cheer, the peaceful winter air, the-

"_YO, AERIS!" _Well, scratch peaceful… because here comes Leo.

"_What was that you did to Spencer!? That was hilarious!" _He shouted, rather loudly, as he approached me. Fortunately, no one, not even the gang, was around to comment on his little outburst. I sighed, somewhat missing their company, yet relieved since I wanted to relish my little victory alone. Guess I'm gonna have to share, since shaking him off is like telling him not to play video games. He can't last a day without going insane… well, more insane than usual.

"_So I kicked him in the balls, what else did you expect?" _I replied to him. He chuckled.

"_Still funny every time you DO kick someone. The reaction face is priceless. I only wish I could've seen Spencer's. Oh, the guys are gonna have a field day when they hear about this! You've basically just avenged Dante by doing that to him! Man, he'll be so proud."_

"_I didn't say I did it for him. That was for going with Claudia instead of me."_

"_Oh well… Still priceless though. Bet his nutshot face looked painful."_

Typical Leo. Always talking about the dumbest things that happen every day. But, that's who he is, I guess… Better humor him then.

"_His face looked like this." _I scrunched up my face as best as I could to resemble Spencer in pain, at least from what I saw. He started laughing when he saw my face. I must look ridiculous. _"Man, than must've been painful! Great job, Aeris!" _Leo complemented as he recovered from his laughing fit. What's with him complementing me? I only kicked a guy in the balls. So, what else is new? _"In any case, Leo, I have a question for you." "Shoot." "How the hell did you get a 97 on the test?" "I had the smartest person I know tutor me the day before the test." _Now THAT was a complement… a very nice one… I never get quoted on my brains, aside my intelligence being cannon fodder at the table. (Not that I minded… much.) At least he was considerate enough to even say something so nice. Perhaps he isn't a COMPLETE moron… he still is, don't get me wrong, but not a complete moron. _"Thanks. I appreciate that." _I spoke in reply. _"So… ya wanna talk on the way back? No one else showed up so I guess it's you and me." "Might as well. Try not to bore me this time around." _He pouted childishly. _"Come now… when do I bore you?"_

The walk back in the nippy weather wasn't as bad as he and I spoke about various things, ranging from today's incident with Spencer, some of his goons hassling Ronny and Shawn, Vanessa thump upping me, even last month's food fight on Thanksgiving. That, despite my ass grounded for 2 weeks for causing that was still pretty fun and honestly, even I couldn't deny that. We both mused over why Vanessa would even support that action. She's in the same league as Spencer when it comes to social status, so why would she even… Leo just gave a crazy ass version of why, something along the lines of Van being replaced by a parallel version of herself where she comes from an alternate universe where everyone is their exact opposite except she's a couerl dressed up as a wolf. Of course I slapped him upside the head for such a stupid explanation, but lowered the strength level just a bit, since he accomplished something not videogame related. _"Oww! Just saying! I mean, it would make sense when you- *whack* OWW!" _Typical Leo…

That weekend…

"_So I heard Leo finished building his man-cave down in his basement." _Ronny said as the 6 of us were trekking towards his house. We all received a message from him saying 'The Cave is open. Free Passes to be used, NOW!' Man-Cave? Since when was Leo building a man cave?

"_Yeah! That's why we're here! We get first invites! He and Ternaldo have been working on it for weeks!" _Now I was intrigued. Knowing the both of them, they probably stuffed it full of video games and Yu-Gi-Oh! Cards… Knowing them. So here I am, walking with Ronny, Shawn, Ashley, Shannon, and Clarissa, wondering what this 'man-cave' was going to look like. Since his parents went out, that left him, Ternaldo, and Tommy alone, so I guess he wanted to take the chance to show us. 5 bucks I won't be impressed… _"I'm excited! I've never seen a man-cave before!" _Ashley declared. Why am I not surprised… She's such a girly-girl compared to the rest of us. Granted, I can't say that that's a bad thing. She's just too sweet for her own good sometimes. _"This outta be good. I've seen a few demo pictures and I'm betting they really are gonna blow us away with the new cave. Least we don't have to head to Ronny's for a group gaming romp all the time now." _Shawn said. He does raise a point… Leo's place is within walking distance of my own so it benefits me more than the others. _"Up yours! My place is bigger!" "Yeah yeah, keep talking, rich boy." _Of course, Ronny would complain since he's the farthest from Leo's by several miles, but he shouldn't. Every time we meet up one place's, usually at Ronny's, making us all drive there. So he should just shut up and check this place out like the rest of us. So now here we are, standing in front of his place, waiting for the door to open… Oh, there it is. And there stood Tommy, looking at the lot of us in glee.

"_You're here! Ready to see the cave?"_

They nodded, some of them eager to see it, but not me. I'm just along for the ride, I guess. Tommy walked aside and led us inside, shutting the door behind them. As the group began walking through, Tommy started guiding them upstairs first. _"Um… Why up here first?" "Big brother wanted to show you something first. His room." "We've all seen his room." "Not this version… Ladies first." _ Timmy spoke, trying to be suave and impress us. Oh, how I am going to whack Leo hard for trying to teach another to follow his footsteps… But as I opened the door, I saw Leo and Ternaldo sitting on the bed… in his clean room… Good Lord. It's sparkling in here! What did he do with all of his stuff!? This place was a junky wreck every time I saw this room! _"Why hello, honored guests." _Leo said, while bowing politely._ "Pleasure to make your acquaintance, ladies and gentlemen." _Ternaldo spoke, bowing as well but adding an unfamiliar Cockney accent.What the hell is up with the accent? Probably a knockoff of Leo's dad's legit Cockney accent._ "DUDE! What happened to your room? You hired someone to dig through this mess!?" _Ronny shouted. _"It looks very nice in here…" _Clarissa said. I forgot that she barely joined up with us recently, so she hasn't seen his room at all. _"Why thank you, madam. But let's dispense with the kindness and get on with the real entertainment… If you will follow us, please." _ The two stood up and left the room, beckoning us to follow them. We did so, me taking point behind them. I can already tell that I won't be impressed by their efforts… As we walked downstairs, everything sank into darkness as Tommy closed the door to the basement behind him. Oh, scary… Someone hold me, I can't see… Not. I'm a cat goddammit, so it's easy to see in front of me while the others slowly made their way downstairs. It also helps that you've been here several times in your life, so going through here in the dark is purely second nature. I saw Leo grab the light switch as he stepped at the bottom of the basement. _"You guys ready for this?" "Whatever Leo, just throw the-" "SURPRISE!" _He yelled, and then flicked on the lights. Adjusting to the sudden brightness was a bit of a pain but after the small period, I saw the basement, now converted into a video game man cave… Everything I said about it being suckish, I take back now. Posters of the greatest games ever created lined the walls of the basement; a massive couch set was down here where Leo immediately took a seat on the wide one. There was a couch, a loveseat I think, in the center that had a sign next to it that said, "Reserved for the Almighty King/Queen of gaming. Probably for competitions and stuff… A huge 40 inch flat screen Vizio TV was in the center of everything, speakers and surround sound included. All of the games that Leo ever possessed in his life, and those that still worked, were placed in display cases, showing off his collection. All of them were even organized from console to console, year to year, and alphabetically as well. And the black and red color scheme for everything down here gave it a rather serious look. There was even a table lined out with snacks, like chips and sweets and… AND!?

"_TASTYKAKES!?"_

"_Yup, imported from Philadelphia. Cost a bit, but SO worth it."_

I kind of had this big weakness for TastyKakes ever since a trip to Pennsylvania… I especially love the peanut butter chocolate cakes and nearly gorged myself on them when I first had them. Ironically, it was Leo who introduced me to them. And thank god, they were there! I almost got giddy in front of everyone since my favorite snack of all time was there, but kept my composure due to everyone's else's presence. Eventually, after everyone marveled over the new gaming station, as Leo called his man cave, we started enjoying the comforts of our new hangout. Never thought a basement would be turned into something so cool. I gotta give those two their dues for all their hard work on this little project of theirs. We spent the remainder of the day, enjoying the comforts of our new hangout and me enjoying the treats. Sure I got a sneaky look from Ronny, but a punch on the shoulder shut him up quickly. We had a little tournament in Super Smash Bros. Brawl, to commemorate the return of Captain Olimar, who I was told will be coming to Super Smash Bros. Universe. Truth be told, Leo was giddy as a schoolgirl when he heard MegaMan will be joining the fray. For me, at least the blue bomber finally got put in something major that didn't get put on hold, like MegaMan Legends 3. (Oh wait… that was cancelled indefinitely.). So I participated, despite my dislike of fighting games. The others fought each other and where some succeeded, others lost, till n the end, I surprisingly made it to the last round… Against Leo. Lord help me… I HATE fighting Leo. He is SUCH AN ASSHOLE AND NEVER SHOWS MERCY TO ME IN FIGHTING GAMES EVEN THOUGH HE KNOWS HOW BADLY I SUCK AT THEM! Ugh… better get this over with and prepare for his inevitable gloating…

It was down to the final life. He got too overconfident and I made him pay for it during the midst of our fight, taking all but one life from him, while he did the same to me early on in the beginning of our battle. Fortunately, 2 pieces of heart (Legend of Zelda) dropped by after I took his fourth life and I was healed to near perfect condition. As he dropped from the recovery platform, I saw anger burning in his eyes. The egomaniac, I've officially pissed off. Sure I was fast, but I needed my Power Suit… I was much stronger in it and stood a better chance in it. But I needed to get a Smash Ball, and Leo has been taking all except one, which I used to blow his ass off the stage and killing him earlier, which is which I'm in the Zero Suit. A sliding crate fell in front of Leo in which he roared, "FALCON PUNCH" and smashed the thing, sending it flying at me. I jumped it, but Leo jumped at me, charging another Falcon Punch. I evaded him at the last millisecond, thanking myself on remembering how to dodge in midair during my earlier fights. Turning round, I lashed at him with the Paralyzer Whip, whacking him in the back of the head. He snarled at me, and shoulder tackled me as a responsible before double punching me, then kneeing me in the stomach, chaining it with several lightning fast punches. That crap hurt, while he laughed all the while. Setting and explosive edge to the Whip, I lashed out at him again, the explosive tip catching him and knocking him a small bit away. He still was angry and did a small hop, kneeing me in the face. I grabbed the edge of the stage (Final Destination) and kicked the approaching Leo in the gut. He simply snarled again. He's starting to get irrational. After all, he claims to have never lost a match against any of us, and he refuses to lose to a talentless noob like me. Oh how I'll kill him, metaphorically and literally, for that… He charged again, but I did a rather graceful backflip, and kicked him in the back. He turned around after recovering from that and jumped over the Paralyzer Shot I fired and stomped hard on my head, causing me to bounce off the floor. _"BOUNCE LITTLE KITTY!" _He taunted at me before somersault-kicking me off the stage. I used the Whip to grab the ledge, saving my life from certain doom. I still had fight left in me and I refused to lose here, not after a victory chance presents itself! I shot the whip out and roped him in, kneeing him a few times in the groin before tossing him up with the whip; I jumped up and smashed my foot in his chest, sending him into the air very high. I thought he would past the blast boundary, but he descended with a vengeance after regaining control of himself mid-flight. He tossed something that landed on my waist. A gooey bomb, which was set to blow up any moment now. I raised my shield to cushion the blast, but at the same time, Leo Falcon Punched the shield, breaking my concentration and stunning me. I felt so dizzy from the crash as I held my head in pain when I staggered to my feet.

"FALCON PUNCH!"

A flaming fist slammed into my face, sending me flying through the air. I thought I was finished while Leo taunted me from the platform and the audience cheered from the impact. But I didn't cross the blast line. I made my way back to the stage, barely grabbing the edge while the audience gasped. I saw why. It wasn't because of my return to battle… The Smash Ball had finally appeared… The two of us shot forward to break it, Leo in perfect range for a Falcon Punch, which he didn't hesitate to use… I thought for sure the ball would break and the immense power would be his, but even though he scored a direct hit… the ball didn't break… I jumped off his head and shot the ball with my Paralyzer… It broke and the immense energy flooded into my body.

"_GIVE ME THE POWER, AERIS!" _Leo yelled before running at me.

"_Too late…" _And I let all of it loose. The release had sent massive currents of electricity throughout my body, Leo getting too close and electrocuted as a result. I felt it, the suit returning to me…

(Weapons systems check… Scanning… Missiles Loaded… Super Missiles Loaded… Bombs Active… Charge Shot Active… Booster Active… Screw Attack Ready… Varia Suit Fully powered, Combat Ready. Warning! Health Critical!) "_Thanks for the late tip…" _But now I had the suit back… "_IT DOESN'T MATTER! I'LL STILL BEAT YOU!" _I heard Leo yell.

(Target sighted, Target's Health: Critical, Initiating Charge Shot Weapon.) The Arm Cannon started gathering massive amounts of energy as a maintained the shot posture, just in case Leo would charge me and I would have to make a premature release. Fortunately, the weapon fully charged by the time he reached me and I sidestepped out of the way of his tackle. _"I'll save this shot for the right moment." _I thought to myself as I axe kicked Leo. He wasn't taking this well. I shot a Super Missile at him, which he jumped over again, and cocked back his fist for another Falcon Punch. I jumped over him and slammed him into the ground with a swipe of the Arm Cannon. Landing just behind him, he stood up and primed another Punch, but I got in front of him, and then fired the Full Power Charge Shot in his face, sending him into the skies itself.

"_NO FUCKING WAYYYYYYYYYY!" _*DING*

GAME SET!

"_OOOOOOHHHHHHHH! NO WAY! LEO LOST! YOU JUST ENDED THE STREAK OF THE KING!"_

Everyone cheered for me as I was quickly ushered towards the royal chair, Ronny tossing Leo out of it before I sat down in it.

Ronny: _"All hail our new queen!"_

And then he started bowing to me, which the others playfully joined in on it. I felt pretty proud. I've NEVER defeated Leo in a fighting game in the past, and I'm suddenly hailed as a hero for beating him. Everyone stopped when Leo stood in front of me… Before he fell onto a knee and actually admitted his defeat. Today was a great day for me. I spent the rest of the time there, sitting in the royal chair, feeling invincible and that nothing could possinly ruin my day… Eventually, the others had to leave, leaving me and him.

"_Had fun?"_

"_Definitely. I must say, this place is much better than I originally thought it would be."_

"_Thanks. By the way, I let you win."_

"_Liar. I know you lost legitimately so don't try to say otherwise."_

"… _Yeah, I guess…"_

"_Maybe next time you'll win, if I ever decide to fight you again which might be never again."_

He turned to look at me with a stupid grin on his face when I said that.

"_Oh, I'll win… Consider yourself fortunate that you managed to win. YOU HAVE NOT HEARD THE LAST OF ME!"_

And from the sullen, defeatist attitude to his stupid self, he returns. So I humored him by doing this overly dramatic speech about my invincibility. That got him riled for another round. Easily cheered up idiot. He was back to his old self in no time, and wanted to start another Brawl, but I refused, only because I was tired after today. Of course, I decided to go home after that, but he walked me back, under the pretense that it was night and I needed some big and strong muscle to protect me if anyone comes along. I slapped him for that. But nevertheless, he walked me back home in the darkness of the night. All while claiming how his victory will go. I just said _"Whatever…" _as I approached the front door. As I opened it, he told me that the Game Station was available to me 24/7. I asked about the others, but he said that they never beat him so they don't deserve the privilege as he calls it. Granted, I don't think I would mind spending a day or 2 down there… It was just so much fun today. I said my goodbyes as I shut the door, the sounds of running footsteps being heard as I shut it. He must've took off running. Truth be told, I didn't expect today to be so much fun. Leo and Ternaldo, more Leo, so he claims, have really outdone themselves in constructing our new station. Sure, he was still an idiot who acted out the fighting techniques of video game fighters, but still I have to give him credit. He isn't as much of an idiot than I originally thought. Better put this in the 'Shining moments of Leo not being a dumbass' notes… alongside the nice things he said about me…

"_So… how was it with your boyfriend, big sis?" _Vincent suddenly appeared and said that to me.

A sharp blush shot across my face as he said that. I was so embarrassed when he ONCE AGAIN said that, then it turned into fury…

"_VINCENT!"_

Vincent took off running the moment I yelled out like that. He knew full well what would happen if I caught him, which he also knows I WILL do in a little bit of time… So I took off after him, my little brother screaming in terror as I closed in on him.

Leo's POV

Why… why did I allow Aeris to win? I knew a punch right then and there would leave me vulnerable but why? I don't get it! I should've demolished her like I always do! But it didn't feel right to do it. It just didn't feel right to beat her like that, so something made me lose on purpose! UGGHH! I CAN'T BELIEVE THIS! My head is such a jumble right now… I don't understand… I made my way inside the house. Mom and dad were still out for a while so I reheated some leftovers and sat in the station while Tommy was playing Mortal Kombat 9. A Scorpion no less, the most bad-ass character, EVER!

"_Big brother? Why did you lose to Aeris?"_

I guess he noted what happened…

"_Don't know, Tommy… Guess my head wasn't in the game."_

"_I'll say. You never Falcon Punch so many times in a Brawl Match. And that last one when Aeris shot you in the face. Even you knew she would do that, but you still primed a punch."_

"_Like I said, Tommy… My head just wasn't in the game."_

"_Do you like Aeris, Leo?"_

…Wha?

"_If you do, then that probably shows you didn't want to be mean to her."_

"_I beat her countless times in the past on all fighting games. I've been whooping her ass before you were even born, Tommy."_

"_But maybe you just didn't want to be a jerk to her this time."_

"…"

"_See? You just didn't want to be mean." _

"_The story will be different the next time, Tommy. I just lost once. That's all."_

"_Whatever you say, big brother. But I think you like her."_

"_You're kidding me? Aeris has been my best friend since before you were born. There's no way that I 'like' her. (It's just my goddamn puberty making me do stupid things… Ok, stupid-ER things.)"_

Tommy just shrugged his shoulders, his sign of, 'I tire of the conversation because you are denying the truth to yourself'. So, I snuck up on him, ruined his fatality input, and started noogie-ing the kid on his head with my knuckles. He scrambled hard to get out of my grip as I kept noogie-ing him until his next match started. At that, I left, just as mom and dad entered the house. My task of staying up until they return was finished, so I resigned myself to bed now. Today was long, and my feelings are such a jumble. Maybe some sleep would help… Unfortunately, my dreams that night DID NOT HELP REGARDING MY FEELINGS CAUSE I WAS STUCK IMAGING GIRLS IN BIKINIS! I FUCKING HATE MY PUBERTY!

**And with that, Chapter 5 is complete. Sorry for the delay. Left home to visit family, then came back to learn that my old dog is suffering from cancer… Basically, my muse was killed for a while, but the good times served to bring back my inspiration. I'll have another chapter out before the month is over. This is LuxUmbra2011, still alive btw, saying, once again, "Ja'ne"!**


End file.
